Psalms — Chapter 66

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1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
Abrahamic Catechism
Bible Study
Psalms — Chapter 66
◈ Zohar

• The Zohar (II, 186b) teaches that the universal shout (Hari'u) directed toward God creates a sound-wall that encompasses the entire planet, preventing the Sitra Achra from receiving reinforcements from outside the terrestrial sphere. The Klipot draw power from the cosmic void; a global shout of praise seals the entry points.

• "Say to God, 'How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cringe before You'" — the Zohar (III, 93b) explains that the enemies' cringing (Yechachashu) is involuntary submission forced by the overwhelming display of divine power. The Klipot can maintain their rebellion only when they are not directly confronted with God's might. This verse forces the confrontation.

• "Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man" — the Zohar (I, 103a) distinguishes between "come and see" (Bo U'Re'u) — an invitation to witness with the eyes of faith — and ordinary seeing. The spiritual eyes see the continuous warfare between holiness and the Klipot playing out behind every historical event. This psalm opens those eyes.

• "He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot" — the Zohar (II, 52a) reads the splitting of the sea as the ultimate act of spiritual warfare: the separation of the mixed waters of holiness and impurity that had become confused under the Klipot's influence. When the sea splits, the holy sparks cross to safety on dry land while the Klipot (Egypt) drown in the returning waters.

• "Blessed be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!" — the Zohar (III, 67b) concludes that the ultimate evidence of divine protection is the continued functioning of the prayer-channel. As long as prayer is heard, the Sitra Achra has not succeeded in severing the connection between the Tzaddik and God. A heard prayer is proof of an intact relationship.

✦ Talmud

• Berakhot 54a teaches that one must bless God for the bad as well as the good — "Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!" (verses 1-2) is the Talmudic model of unconditional praise that the sages require even in times of trouble, because the discipline of finding reasons for praise in all circumstances is the antidote to the Sitra Achra's strategy of using suffering to suppress divine consciousness.

• Megillah 14b records that the Song of the Sea (Az Yashir) was the first song of redemption — "Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot" (verses 5-6) is the Talmudic rehearsal of the Exodus miracle that the sages teach should be recited daily (in the morning liturgy) to renew the spiritual reality that God's power over nature is available for those He redeems.

• Berakhot 5a teaches that afflictions are spiritually purifying — "For you tested us; you refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs" (verses 10-11) is the Talmudic theology of affliction as refining — the silver metaphor is precise because refining removes impurities, not the silver itself, and the sages teach that Israel's afflictions under the nations have been the divine refining process that purifies without destroying.

• Yoma 86b teaches that teshuvah turns intentional sins into merits — "Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul" (verse 16) is the Talmudic practice of public testimony where personal divine experience becomes communal spiritual capital, and the sages teach that the righteous person's obligation to share their experience of divine faithfulness is itself a mitzvah.

• Sanhedrin 94b records that God regretted not making Hezekiah the Messiah because of his failure to praise — "But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" (verses 19-20) is the Talmudic testimony of answered prayer as the basis for ongoing praise — the one who has experienced divine response is spiritually obligated to testify, and the failure to testify (as with Hezekiah) forfeits future divine favor.